Semi-vegetarian diet and Crohn’s disease:
A semi-vegetarian diet can prevent relapse of symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. The semi-vegetarian diet includes daily portions of brown rice, miso soup made from fermented bean paste, brown rice, plain yogurt, eggs, vegetables, fruits, legumes, potatoes, algae and other plant foods. Fish was eaten once per week and meat once every two weeks. Remission from symptoms of Crohn’s disease was maintained in about 94% of patients on this semi-vegetarian diet during the two-year study. (8)
Weight Loss on a Vegetarian Diet
Many people believe that eating a vegetarian diet will help them to lose weight. While this statement may raise the hackles of most vegetarians, the truth of the matter is that weight loss requires a negative calorie balance. This means that an individual who wishes to lose weight must eat less calories than they burn. For a healthy adult, with no other underlying medical conditions, who receives a moderate amount of exercise daily, a calorie is a calorie. Research has shown that individuals who follow a typical vegetarian diet will consume approximately 500 fewer calories daily than those individuals who eat meat. Individuals who eat a vegetarian diet will actually consume a greater volume of food than nonvegetarians.